The sandbar
Joining the two islands.
Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0
Nosy Iranja is a small group of islands off the north-west coast of Madagascar, south-west of Nosy Be. It consists of two islands joined at low tide by a long bank of white sand, surrounded by clear turquoise water. It is among the finest boat trips in the country, and most visitors to Nosy Be make the day trip here at least once. Its name means island of turtles, according to travel guides, as the beaches were a nesting site for sea turtles. The larger island has a small fishing village and an old lighthouse, reached by a short path through the trees. The smaller island is almost empty apart from a small hotel and a few trees, making it the calmer of the two. You walk the sandbar between two seas, with shallow water shining in the sun and soft white sand under your feet. From the hill near the lighthouse the whole bank appears as a white line in the blue. The reefs nearby hold coral you can see with a snorkel. Bring sunscreen and a hat, take no coral or shells, and leave the beach clean. It is about 57 km in a straight line from central Nosy Be, and visitors arrive by speedboat in about an hour or more. Ask about the tide, as the bank is sometimes covered, and the best season is May to November.
Joining the two islands.
The white line from above.
Coral by snorkel.
Off the north-west coast, south-west of Nosy Be, Madagascar
By speedboat from Nosy Be, usually on a day trip that includes lunch.
No, the tide sometimes covers it, so ask about low tide.